Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
JULIET
“ Y ou do not know what it is that you are asking for,” he says darkly.
“I do.”
Careful to retract his sharp claws, he cups my chin and tips my face up to his. His fangs extend and his red eyes swirl with black as they stare deep into mine. “You are certain?”
“Yes.”
Desire curls low in my belly as he leans in and skims the tip of his nose along the curve of my neck and shoulder, inhaling deeply. I’ve never been touched so intimately before.
“Will you be gentle?” I barely manage.
His intense gaze holds mine as he wraps one arm around my back, pulling my body flush with his. I loop my arms around his neck as his other hand cups the back of my head. He threads his fingers through my hair, holding me tenderly. As if we were already lovers.
Heat pulses between my thighs as a low rumbling purr rises in his chest and his warm breath whispers across my skin. “Always.”
My heart stops and then begins hammering at the slight sting of his fangs poised over my skin. I gasp as they pierce my flesh, sinking deep into the artery of my neck.
My mouth opens in a silent cry, and I arch against him as the pain quickly gives way to intense pleasure. I dig my fingers into his shoulders as desire pools deep in my core.
He braces one hand on my back and gently lays me down on the nest of blankets.
I part my thighs, and he settles between them. I love the weight of him over me as his powerful form covers mine and the gentle suction and pull against my skin as he accepts the offering of my blood.
Warmth spreads through my veins, and a soft whimper escapes me as he tightens his hold. Only a few layers of fabric separating my body from his as his hardened length presses against the entrance of my core.
“Valaric.” His name leaves my lips in a soft moan. I trace my fingers over the thick muscles of his shoulders and back as he rolls his hips against mine, creating a delicious friction between us.
He groans as I run my fingers through his hair and arch up against him, wanting more. Pleasure builds like a giant wave, so intense that I can barely breathe. I’ve never felt anything like this before. I’m completely lost in sensation, swept away in an ocean of bliss.
It’s over all too soon as he presses a tender kiss to my neck, laving, his tongue directly over the two puncture marks to seal them. My heart flutters as he growls low in his throat and whispers against my skin. “Mine.”
When he pulls back, I’m breathless and a bit dizzy, his intoxicating scent flooding my nostrils. He cups my chin, brushing his thumb tenderly across my cheek. “Are you all right? Are you in any pain?”
Pain? I’m certain what I felt was the exact opposite. I’m also acutely aware of how my body is practically molded to his. My chest rises and falls, pressed solidly against him as I struggle to regain my composure. Still panting, I somehow find the words to reply. “I’m fine.”
Warmth fills me as I trace my fingers lightly over my neck, remembering the feel of his lips pressed against my sensitive flesh. I’ve written several romantic scenes for my stories, but now, I realize that I have not done any of them justice. I feel as if I’m floating on a cloud of pure and utter bliss.
“Truly?”
Worry mars his handsome face. It warms my heart to know that he cares so much. His hair is slightly mussed and I love knowing that I am the reason for it.
A faint smile curls my lips as I reach up and comb my fingers through the silken strands, smoothing them back from his forehead. “Yes.”
“You are… not afraid?”
I shake my head. Guilt fills me as I look down at the bandages around his torso. “I’m sorry I left the castle. It’s my fault you were hurt. I misjudged you, and instead of staying to talk about it, I left.”
“I understand why you ran away,” he murmurs. “You were scared.”
“Yes, I was afraid, but I didn’t run away,” I counter. “I just… I needed to get away to clear my head. To think things through.”
He frowns. “And what did you determine?”
“That you were fighting against your nature and your hunger because you didn’t want to scare me by losing control.” Shame fills me. “And I repaid that consideration with fear and mistrust, simply because of what you are.”
He arches a brow. “Many would consider it foolish to trust a Vampire in the first place.”
“Yes, but you are not just any Vampire.” I touch his face. “You are my husband.”
“You do not care that you are married to a monster?”
“You’re not a monster.”
His gaze drops to my neck, where he bit me. “Yes, I am, Juliet.”
I don’t understand why he seems so intent upon casting himself as a villain. Maybe his previous wife treated him this way. If that is true, then I plan to be different. Yes, he’s a Vampire, but he has been kind and considerate of me thus far. And until he proves himself otherwise, I will do my best to meet him halfway in this marriage.
When I think of Jonathan’s anger whenever I would refuse him anything, I shudder inwardly. I think of my stepfather and how awful he is to my mother. Even human men can be monsters. Valaric is nothing like them. “Perhaps you are, but you are not one to me.” I take his hand in my own, squeezing it gently. “You’ve saved me twice now, Valaric.”
“And now you have saved me.” Valaric glances at our blanket fort, and a smile tugs at his lips. “I would not have thought of this.”
Despite the storm outside, the sunlight glows a bit brighter around the edges of the covered windows. But I’m pleased to note that the blankets over our heads keep us both in the shadows.
“Fortunately for you”—I tip up my chin—“you have a clever wife.”
His expression softens. “I do, indeed.”
My cheeks heat and I force myself to look away. “How long will it take for you to heal now that you’ve had my blood?”
“I should be fully healed before night falls again.”
“Good.”
I’m still wrapped up in Valaric’s arms when I feel him tense. I tilt my head up to look at him. “Is something wrong?” I ask softly.
His eyes flicker to mine, and for a heartbeat, I think he might say nothing. But then he reaches into his pocket, his movements careful, deliberate. He pulls out a small wooden box and holds it out to me.
“I’ve... I’ve been meaning to give this to you,” he says, and there’s something in his voice—something tight, almost hesitant.
I take it from him and carefully open it. Inside is a ring. A simple silver band. It unadorned, with no stone or ornament, but it’s lovely all the same. “It’s beautiful,” I murmur.
“It was my grandmother’s,” he says solemnly. “She gave it to me shortly before her passing. She wanted me to give it to my wife someday.”
As I gaze at my husband, it’s obvious this ring is very precious to him. Just as precious as my pearl necklace is to me.
“I know it’s only a simple band, but we can have a stone added if you’d like.”
The way he suggests this makes me realize why he seemed hesitant when he first handed me the box. He was probably worried that I wouldn’t like it because it is plain. But that could not be further from the truth. I love that he is entrusting me with something that means so much to him.
I shake my head. “It’s perfect.”
His gaze is full of possession as he slips it onto my finger. The fit is perfect. As if it was always meant to be mine. My heart flutters as he takes my hand and presses a tender kiss to the back of my knuckles.
Absently, I bring my hand to my necklace. “I believe it matches this perfectly.” His brow furrows softly in confusion and I realize I should explain. “This ring is special because it came from your grandmother—someone you loved and cared for deeply.”
I clasp the pearl on the end of the delicate silver chain around my neck. “This was the last thing my father gave me before he died.” Emotions lodge in my throat, but I somehow manage to speak around them. “The last trip he made overseas, he brought this back for me.”
A wistful smile crests my lips. “I was eight years old, and I had always wanted to see the ocean.” Sadness tugs at the edge of the memory. “But we never had a chance to go. He died only a few weeks later from a fever.”
“I’m sorry you lost him,” Valaric says softly.
I’m not sure why I’m telling him all of this, but it feels good to say it aloud. After my father’s death, we never really talked about him. It always made my mother too sad.
“Things were really hard for us after he was gone. My mother had no family for support, and we lost everything. But then Buryk came around.” I pause. “They had met a few times, before my father’s death, when my father had invited him to dinner.” I shake my head softly. “I didn’t like him then either. He was nice to all of us in the beginning, but I always felt like it was a fa?ade.
“Buryk has had several affairs, but he always manages to convince my mother not to leave him. He never fails to remind me and Stephen that we’re not his children, and we should feel fortunate that he took us all in.”
“Did he hurt you?” Valaric’s eyes darken with anger.
“He never hit us. But he has always treated my brother and me like we’re an inconvenience in his life. Until I came of age, that is.” I sigh heavily. “If not for my mother, he would have sold my hand to a man old enough to be my grandfather.”
“I wanted to kill him,” Valaric admits. “I still do.”
It probably shouldn’t make me feel good to hear that, but it does. I love that he cares so much. That I matter to him. For the first time, in a long time, I feel seen.
“I’m not sure my mother would forgive you if you did,” I reluctantly admit. “But I appreciate the offer.” A faint smile tips my lips.
“Of course,” he replies softly.
“And thank you for listening. It feels good to talk about my father.” I swallow against the sudden lump in my throat. “I know he’s been gone many years, but I miss him. Some days it’s harder than others.”
“My grandmother always told me that grief is just love with nowhere to go.” His gaze drifts to the opposite wall with a faraway look. “It’s all the love you want to give to someone who is gone.”
I nod softly. I’ve never heard it explained this way, but it makes perfect sense. I look at Valaric. “My father was always making people smile.” A soft huff of laughter escapes me. “And he loved to tell the most elaborate stories.”
“Like what?”
“He told my mother that the day they met, he had just come from the forest. That he’d made a bargain with a Fae to give him the most beautiful bride in all the realm.” A wistful smile crests my lips at the memory. “And that the minute he got back into town, he ran right into her when she was coming out of the bakery, and he knew the Fae had made good on their agreement.”
Valaric laughs, and as he does, his lips curve in a handsome smile.
I continue. “When I was younger, I was afraid there were monsters under my bed. So when he gave me this pearl, he told me it was enchanted to keep them away.”
“He sounds like he was a good father.”
“He was the best,” I agree.
We share stories back and forth about our childhood, but after a few hours, exhaustion steals through me. I cover my mouth to stifle a yawn.
He looks over at the bed, near the window. “You can have the blankets to sleep on the bed while I rest here.”
A twinge of disappointment and rejection settles in my chest. After what just transpired between us, I thought we were well past the point of sleeping apart.
Instead of bringing it up, however, I gather the quilt and then move back to the bed. Perhaps he prefers to sleep alone. After all, he did say we would be residing in separate rooms.
Lying on the mattress, I turn onto my side and glance at the shadowed area where Valaric lies. His crimson eyes glow faintly in the firelight, but instead of making me afraid, it makes my heart rate quicken.
I’d been worried it would hurt when he took my blood. I never expected it to feel so pleasurable. Heat flushes my entire body at the memory of his powerful, muscular form covering mine and his lips upon my skin as he drank from me.
Closing my eyes, I allow my thoughts to drift. I wonder about Valaric’s previous wife and why he didn’t mention her before now. Irrational jealousy rises within, but I force it back down, reminding myself that he has probably lived a much longer life than I have.
Of course it would make sense that he was married before. I’m not sure how old he is, but he could hardly be expected to have been alone all that time.
And yet, I can’t help but wonder about his relationship with her. It could not have been pleasant if his past experience made him believe I would fear him.
Sighing heavily, I roll onto my back and pull the blanket up to my chin, struggling to fall asleep. Valaric is very different from what I expected, and there is still so much I don’t know about my new husband. I have many questions, and what I’ve discovered so far has only made me curious to learn even more.